TxLonghorn
Community Veteran
I'm curious and have read a few things about it and how it can be used in conjunction with rhodiola, but I have been unable to find it at places like beyond a century...anybody?
Does anybody know where to get rhododendron?
- Thread starter TxLonghorn
- Start date
TxLonghorn
Community Veteran
Rhododendron caucasicum
Weight management
More than 54.9% of Americans adults are overweight; 22.3% of American adults are obese. (Allison et al. 1999). Overweight and obesity can be causatives of, or increase the severity of, nearly all other adverse health conditions. The cost of treatment for weight-related illnesses, premature death and lost wages due to being overweight or obese is estimated at $99.2 billion dollars per year in the United States alone, and the toll of the illnesses continues to increase.
The absorption of dietary fats is dependent on the action of pancreatic triglyceride lipase (DeCaro et al. 1977). Triglyceride lipases are enzymes required for fat metabolism. In humans, triglyceride lipases are found in the gastrointestinal tract, bound to the surface of the intestinal wall, which comes in contact with food (Chapus et al. 1988; Carey and Hernell 1992). The breakdown of dietary fats is critical to facilitate nutrient absorption by these intestinal membranes. Dietary triglycerides must be broken down to free fatty acids and monoacylglycerols before they are absorbed (Carey and Hernell 1992). In the absence of triglyceride lipases, dietary fats are not absorbed and, instead, are excreted from the body during bowel movements.
Of course, our bodies need some fat (essential fat) in order to perform properly. Therefore, if we could create a safe method to partially block lipase activity, it would be a very helpful tool in reducing fat absorption from the diet.
Drug companies have introduced a fat blocker for weight control. Orlistat, an inhibitor of gastrointestinal lipase, limits the absorption of ingested fat. The Endocrinology and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (FDA) unanimously recommended the approval of Orlistat to help people lose weight and decrease obesity-related health risks. Orlistat (also know as XENICAL) represents the first of a new class of antiobesity drugs called lipase inhibitors, which act in the gastrointestinal tract to prevent the absorption of fat. Since our bodies will suffer by total elimination of fat, it is wise to be sure a drug is only a partial lipase inhibitor and not one that abolishes all lipase function.
A search for natural products that could partially block the activity of the pancreatic enzyme lipase also was successful. Clinical research showed that physiologically relevant lipase-inhibiting properties are found in Rhododendron caucasicum extract obtained from the young spring leaves, but not from summer-fall mature leaves.
The individual effects of two types of Rhododendron caucasicum extract from: a) spring leaves, and, b) summer-fall leaves on the digestion of fat and protein were studied in 132 volunteers at Moscow State Hospital and Center of Modern Medicine (Abidoff 1997).
150 mg. of either Rhododendron caucasicum extract were given to patients three times a day prior to food intake. Samples of feces were collected and analyzed for total fat and protein. A control group (placebo) received the same food, but without either of the extracts.
Results of this relatively simple, but scientifically very elegant clinical study indicated that Rhododendron caucasicum extract derived from young spring leaves stimulated fat excretion with feces up to 15 to 20% compared to the summer-fall extract and placebo groups. Feces of patients who received the spring leaves extract were high in fat and low in protein. Contrarily, feces of patients who received summer-fall leaves extract were high in protein and very low in fat. Thus, the administration of the spring extract of Rhododendron caucasicum stimulated the release of fat, while summer-fall leaves extract stimulated the release of protein.
We do not have available comparative studies of the effectiveness of Rhododendron caucasicum extract versus Orlistat (pharmaceutical lipase enzyme blocker), but results provided above clearly indicate that fat-blocking properties of Rhododendron caucasicum young spring leaves extract is quite significant and very promising.
At the present time it is very difficult to identify specific compounds in Rhododendron caucasicum spring leaves extract that are responsible for lipase-inhibiting properties. However, we tend to think that the presence of all naturally occurring constituents in Rhododendron caucasicum spring leaves extract are essential, and we strongly recommend that standardizations of Rhododendron caucasicum spring leave extract use all of its major constituents: hydroxycinnamic, chlorogenic and gallic acids, and taxifolins. Only careful analysis of extracts for the presence of key positive compounds will help to avoid any possible attempt of adulteration/substitution of this unique extract with inferior summer-fall leaves extract.
During three months of clinical trials, patients who received Rhododendron caucasicum spring leaves extract reduced their original weight from 5 to 20 pounds, and showed statistically significant increases in the body protein: fat ratios. This was observed in comparison with patients who received the summer-fall extract as well as with placebo control group (Abidoff 1997). Equally important is the weight was lost without the use of any of the popular, yet potentially quite harmful, weight loss substances found on the market today (Haller and Benowitz 2000; HN 2000).
Some people might think that a reduction of 5 to 20 pounds within the first three months is not enough. But according to researchers, fast weight loss is not healthy and people who lose weight very quickly regain weight very quickly. It is therefore advisable to loose weight slowly, and to keep in mind that there are substantial health benefits to even modest weight loss.
A study by Dr. Lynn Moore, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Boston University, reviewed files of about 400 people who participated in the Framingham Heart Study, which began in 1948. Those participants in the study, between the ages of 30 and 50 years old, who lost four or more pounds and kept if off for four years, were 25% less likely to develop high blood pressure during the next forty years. Participants between the ages of 50 and 65 years old who did the same were 30% less likely to develop high blood pressure. Participants who lost 8 to 15 pounds and kept it off for four years cut their diabetes risk by 33%.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Dr. Moore stated. “Even that modest amount of weight loss makes a big difference. That’s an exciting health message (McKinney 2000; Zazinski 2000).”
Japanese researchers Motoyashiki et al. (1998) recently demonstrated that taxifolins – one of the major compounds in Rhododendron caucasicum spring leaves – stimulates fat release from adipose tissue. Remember that Rhododendron caucasicum spring leaves extract was high in taxifolins (2 to 5%). We believe that taxifolins-dependent adipose fat release might be a second part of the weight management story observed in the abovementioned clinical trial. In addition, Dr. Motoyashiki et al. discovered that taxifolins enhanced the release of lipoprotein lipase activity from fat pads. Lipolysis in the fat pads was stimulated by the presence of taxifolins alone in a dose-dependent manner.
In another study Dr. Han (1998) observed that taxifolins stimulate the norepinephrine-induced lipolysis in rat fat cells. Furthermore taxifolins stimulate adrenocorticotrophic hormone-induced lipolysis. Dr. Han also studied the effect of taxifolins on the prevention of obesity in mice. High-fat diet-induced obese mice were treated with herbal extracts containing high taxifolins in combination with green tea for 10 weeks. The effects on noradrenaline-induced lipolysis were examined with isolated fat cells and a cell-free system consisting of lipid droplets and hormone-sensitive lipase. It was demonstrated that the antiobesity effects of taxifolins in high-fat diet-treated mice might be due partly to the enhancing effect of flavonoids on noradrenaline-induced lipolysis in adipose tissue. The results suggest herbal extracts high in taxifolins might be an effective crude drug for the treatment of obesity and fatty liver caused by a high-fat diet. These results indicate that Rhododendron caucasicum, high in taxifolins, as well as the extract Rhodiola rosea, high in rosavins (See Chapter 5.), are the best “fat-mobilizers.”
****
****
That's just a little of the info I've read on it.
Weight management
More than 54.9% of Americans adults are overweight; 22.3% of American adults are obese. (Allison et al. 1999). Overweight and obesity can be causatives of, or increase the severity of, nearly all other adverse health conditions. The cost of treatment for weight-related illnesses, premature death and lost wages due to being overweight or obese is estimated at $99.2 billion dollars per year in the United States alone, and the toll of the illnesses continues to increase.
The absorption of dietary fats is dependent on the action of pancreatic triglyceride lipase (DeCaro et al. 1977). Triglyceride lipases are enzymes required for fat metabolism. In humans, triglyceride lipases are found in the gastrointestinal tract, bound to the surface of the intestinal wall, which comes in contact with food (Chapus et al. 1988; Carey and Hernell 1992). The breakdown of dietary fats is critical to facilitate nutrient absorption by these intestinal membranes. Dietary triglycerides must be broken down to free fatty acids and monoacylglycerols before they are absorbed (Carey and Hernell 1992). In the absence of triglyceride lipases, dietary fats are not absorbed and, instead, are excreted from the body during bowel movements.
Of course, our bodies need some fat (essential fat) in order to perform properly. Therefore, if we could create a safe method to partially block lipase activity, it would be a very helpful tool in reducing fat absorption from the diet.
Drug companies have introduced a fat blocker for weight control. Orlistat, an inhibitor of gastrointestinal lipase, limits the absorption of ingested fat. The Endocrinology and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (FDA) unanimously recommended the approval of Orlistat to help people lose weight and decrease obesity-related health risks. Orlistat (also know as XENICAL) represents the first of a new class of antiobesity drugs called lipase inhibitors, which act in the gastrointestinal tract to prevent the absorption of fat. Since our bodies will suffer by total elimination of fat, it is wise to be sure a drug is only a partial lipase inhibitor and not one that abolishes all lipase function.
A search for natural products that could partially block the activity of the pancreatic enzyme lipase also was successful. Clinical research showed that physiologically relevant lipase-inhibiting properties are found in Rhododendron caucasicum extract obtained from the young spring leaves, but not from summer-fall mature leaves.
The individual effects of two types of Rhododendron caucasicum extract from: a) spring leaves, and, b) summer-fall leaves on the digestion of fat and protein were studied in 132 volunteers at Moscow State Hospital and Center of Modern Medicine (Abidoff 1997).
150 mg. of either Rhododendron caucasicum extract were given to patients three times a day prior to food intake. Samples of feces were collected and analyzed for total fat and protein. A control group (placebo) received the same food, but without either of the extracts.
Results of this relatively simple, but scientifically very elegant clinical study indicated that Rhododendron caucasicum extract derived from young spring leaves stimulated fat excretion with feces up to 15 to 20% compared to the summer-fall extract and placebo groups. Feces of patients who received the spring leaves extract were high in fat and low in protein. Contrarily, feces of patients who received summer-fall leaves extract were high in protein and very low in fat. Thus, the administration of the spring extract of Rhododendron caucasicum stimulated the release of fat, while summer-fall leaves extract stimulated the release of protein.
We do not have available comparative studies of the effectiveness of Rhododendron caucasicum extract versus Orlistat (pharmaceutical lipase enzyme blocker), but results provided above clearly indicate that fat-blocking properties of Rhododendron caucasicum young spring leaves extract is quite significant and very promising.
At the present time it is very difficult to identify specific compounds in Rhododendron caucasicum spring leaves extract that are responsible for lipase-inhibiting properties. However, we tend to think that the presence of all naturally occurring constituents in Rhododendron caucasicum spring leaves extract are essential, and we strongly recommend that standardizations of Rhododendron caucasicum spring leave extract use all of its major constituents: hydroxycinnamic, chlorogenic and gallic acids, and taxifolins. Only careful analysis of extracts for the presence of key positive compounds will help to avoid any possible attempt of adulteration/substitution of this unique extract with inferior summer-fall leaves extract.
During three months of clinical trials, patients who received Rhododendron caucasicum spring leaves extract reduced their original weight from 5 to 20 pounds, and showed statistically significant increases in the body protein: fat ratios. This was observed in comparison with patients who received the summer-fall extract as well as with placebo control group (Abidoff 1997). Equally important is the weight was lost without the use of any of the popular, yet potentially quite harmful, weight loss substances found on the market today (Haller and Benowitz 2000; HN 2000).
Some people might think that a reduction of 5 to 20 pounds within the first three months is not enough. But according to researchers, fast weight loss is not healthy and people who lose weight very quickly regain weight very quickly. It is therefore advisable to loose weight slowly, and to keep in mind that there are substantial health benefits to even modest weight loss.
A study by Dr. Lynn Moore, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Boston University, reviewed files of about 400 people who participated in the Framingham Heart Study, which began in 1948. Those participants in the study, between the ages of 30 and 50 years old, who lost four or more pounds and kept if off for four years, were 25% less likely to develop high blood pressure during the next forty years. Participants between the ages of 50 and 65 years old who did the same were 30% less likely to develop high blood pressure. Participants who lost 8 to 15 pounds and kept it off for four years cut their diabetes risk by 33%.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Dr. Moore stated. “Even that modest amount of weight loss makes a big difference. That’s an exciting health message (McKinney 2000; Zazinski 2000).”
Japanese researchers Motoyashiki et al. (1998) recently demonstrated that taxifolins – one of the major compounds in Rhododendron caucasicum spring leaves – stimulates fat release from adipose tissue. Remember that Rhododendron caucasicum spring leaves extract was high in taxifolins (2 to 5%). We believe that taxifolins-dependent adipose fat release might be a second part of the weight management story observed in the abovementioned clinical trial. In addition, Dr. Motoyashiki et al. discovered that taxifolins enhanced the release of lipoprotein lipase activity from fat pads. Lipolysis in the fat pads was stimulated by the presence of taxifolins alone in a dose-dependent manner.
In another study Dr. Han (1998) observed that taxifolins stimulate the norepinephrine-induced lipolysis in rat fat cells. Furthermore taxifolins stimulate adrenocorticotrophic hormone-induced lipolysis. Dr. Han also studied the effect of taxifolins on the prevention of obesity in mice. High-fat diet-induced obese mice were treated with herbal extracts containing high taxifolins in combination with green tea for 10 weeks. The effects on noradrenaline-induced lipolysis were examined with isolated fat cells and a cell-free system consisting of lipid droplets and hormone-sensitive lipase. It was demonstrated that the antiobesity effects of taxifolins in high-fat diet-treated mice might be due partly to the enhancing effect of flavonoids on noradrenaline-induced lipolysis in adipose tissue. The results suggest herbal extracts high in taxifolins might be an effective crude drug for the treatment of obesity and fatty liver caused by a high-fat diet. These results indicate that Rhododendron caucasicum, high in taxifolins, as well as the extract Rhodiola rosea, high in rosavins (See Chapter 5.), are the best “fat-mobilizers.”
****
****
That's just a little of the info I've read on it.
